Moro Christian, Bu Dianheng, Gadgil Aditya, Wright Gordon, Jones Cindy J
Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, 4229 Australia.
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Med Sci Educ. 2023 Jun 17;33(4):879-885. doi: 10.1007/s40670-023-01809-9. eCollection 2023 Aug.
There is a growing trend towards using virtual models within medical programs. In some disciplines, the use of human samples or cadavers is increasingly being replaced by technology-enhanced modes of delivery. Although this transition can occur with some success, the impact of virtual representations to replace depictions of disease states from dissected samples displayed in acrylic pathological specimen jars has never been investigated. This study assessed medical student perceptions of replacing teaching through physical specimens (i.e. specimen jars or real tissue) with virtual models across cardiovascular, neural, musculoskeletal, haematology, endocrine and immunological pathology curricula. Seventy-four year 2 ( = 31) and year 5 ( = 43) medical students participated in the study. After being provided with a demonstration of a potential tablet-based lesson on lung pathology using augmented reality, participants completed a Likert-scale survey and provided written feedback. Questions requested thoughts on the usefulness of the 3D-virtual model compared to physical specimens and whether current teaching in pathology could be replaced by technology-enhanced practices. Most students (58.15%) disagreed on the replacement of physical specimens with virtual models. Furthermore, over half the students (55.4%) indicated that the replacement of physical specimens with augmented reality models would not be beneficial for pathology learning. Nearly two-thirds of students believed that the absence of physical specimens would negatively impact their knowledge. Nonetheless, many students would appreciate the opportunity to revise pathology away from the labs with virtual options. As such, an overwhelming number of students (89.2%) would prefer having both physical specimens and virtual models for learning. This study identifies that technology-enhanced learning may be a suitable supplement alongside traditional hands-on teaching but should not replace the use of pathological specimens within a medical curriculum.
在医学课程中使用虚拟模型的趋势日益增长。在一些学科中，人体样本或尸体的使用正越来越多地被技术增强的授课方式所取代。尽管这种转变能够取得一定成功，但虚拟展示取代保存在丙烯酸病理标本罐中的解剖样本所呈现的疾病状态描绘的影响从未被研究过。本研究评估了医学生对于在心血管、神经、肌肉骨骼、血液学、内分泌和免疫病理学课程中用虚拟模型取代通过实体标本（即标本罐或真实组织）进行教学的看法。74名二年级（ n = 31）和五年级（ n = 43）的医学生参与了该研究。在观看了一个使用增强现实技术的关于肺部病理学的潜在平板电脑课程演示后，参与者完成了一份李克特量表调查并提供了书面反馈。问题询问了与实体标本相比3D虚拟模型的有用性看法，以及当前病理学教学是否可以被技术增强的实践所取代。大多数学生（58.15%）不同意用虚拟模型取代实体标本。此外，超过一半的学生（55.4%）表示用增强现实模型取代实体标本对病理学学习没有益处。近三分之二的学生认为缺少实体标本会对他们的知识产生负面影响。尽管如此，许多学生还是希望有机会通过虚拟选项在实验室之外复习病理学。因此，绝大多数学生（89.2%）更希望同时拥有实体标本和虚拟模型用于学习。本研究表明，技术增强学习可能是传统实践教学的合适补充，但不应取代医学课程中病理标本的使用。
